12 - Numeracy
Hannah Diffee
Professor Reppert
Reporting and Writing for the Mass Media
Fall 2024
12 - Numeracy
Math Skills for Journalists
Although journalism is a word-dominated field, journalists must have a basic understanding of math. Numeracy, according to the Oxford Learner's Dictionary, is "the ability to understand and work with numbers." When used appropriately, numbers can be the foundation of a story. Are prices collapsing or rising? Are graduation rates average, above average, or below average? Are donations to a nonprofit lower or higher than anticipated? Journalists should not overwhelm their readers with numbers; instead, they should use them to convey a message more effectively.
Below are some of the math concepts crucial for journalists:
- statistics - averages such as mean, median, and mode
- percentages - finding a percentage, percent change, and percent of a whole
To improve the readability of news reports that deal with numbers, journalists should:
- avoid "number soup" - use no more than two or three numbers per paragraph
- spread out the numbers - use no more than one or two paragraphs in a row that contain numbers
- round off numbers - avoid fractions, decimals, and other hard-to-understand numbers
- present numbers graphically - include numbers in charts, tables, or bulleted lists
Source: Poynter
Math can be hard.
Those interested in improving their math skills can enroll in Poynter University's four-hour Math for Journalists course to receive a Math for Journalists Certificate. For more information, email Poynter News University at info@newsu.org.
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